Published May 24, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT
Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.
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It would not be a hyperbolic hot take to argue that the best years of Spider-Man’s comic book history are more than a couple of decades old, with most of the web-slinger’s best comics and stories having been published between the 1960s and 1990s. Still, while the character’s modern era is tainted by decisions made regarding the “One More Day” storyline, shared by The Amazing Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and The Sensational Spider-Man, the 2000s and onward do still boast some phenomenal Spider-Man comics.
Joe Kelly’s The Amazing Spider-Man run is currently barreling toward a “family secret” of Aunt May’s, the significance of a cousin Peter Parker never knew he had, and legacy issue #1000, and though it has brilliant arcs and some brand-new characters with terrific development, it is bogged down by the state of Spider-Man’s Earth-616 status quo and controversial character developments that have been made. It is tough not to reminisce about how excellent and formative some Spider-Man comics have been since the 2000s began, especially in the midst of Spider-Man comics swiftly taking a nosedive soon thereafter and the lackluster reputation that The Amazing Spider-Man and other Spider-Man comics bear in the 2020s era.
7 The Amazing Spider-Man (2001–2007)
By J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr., Mike Deodato Jr., Ron Garney, and Joe Quesada
It is a testament to how beloved Straczynski’s run is that it is so adored, and yet it harbors two enormous blemishes: “Sins Past,” where it was revealed that Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn had twins (since retconned, thankfully), and “One More Day,” widely considered the most egregious and controversial storyline in comic book history, much less in the last 64 years of Spider-Man lore.
“One More Day” is preceded by “Back in Black,” a fantastic storyline that follows Spider-Man’s public unmasking and the consequences of his initial Pro-Registration choice in Civil War.
6 The Amazing Spider-Man (2008–2018)
By Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marcos Martin, and Ryan Stegman
Like Straczynski’s run, Dan Slott’s decade-long Amazing Spider-Man tenure was a mixed bag, and thus, few Amazing Spider-Man runs that were published between the 2000s and now would be unanimously considered uncontested ‘masterpieces.’ However, it is widely agreed upon that most of Slott’s decade-long run was superb, particularly its front half with stories like “No One Dies,” and that it ended as wonderfully as possible, with the “Go Down Swinging” storyline—with Carnage and Norman Osborn bonding to become Red Goblin—being an incredible final arc.
Slott also bears the honor of being one of the most prolific Spider-Man comic writers, along with Brian Michael Bendis and others, which is a testament to the quality of his work. The cherry on top, then, is beautiful artwork by Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marcos Martin, Ryan Stegman, Stuart Immonen, and Nick Bradshaw.
5 The Superior Spider-Man
By Dan Slott, Christos Gage, Humberto Ramos, Ryan Stegman, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Mark Bagley, Mike Hawthorne, Javier Rodriguez, and Marcos Martin
The Superior Spider-Man examines the best of both Peter and Dr. Otto Octavius and, against all odds, persevered and actually went on for a considerable enough amount of time to justify such a bold narrative swing. If The Superior Spider-Man had not lasted nearly as long as it did, Peter’s mind being a spectral remnant in Otto’s psyche would not have been so significant or impactful. It also effectively gave the impression that Doctor Octopus impersonating Peter and becoming Spider-Man could actually be the new status quo for a while.
This was obviously an enormous status quo shift. But, unlike “One More Day,” The Superior Spider-Man’s premise had its resolution baked in: Peter was not completely erased from his body/brain and persevered, and thus, it was feasible that Otto’s mind transference could be reversed at any time. Likewise, Otto’s digital back-up has also allowed Doctor Octopus to return, all without tarnishing how epic of a moment it was when Otto swapped minds with Peter in The Amazing Spider-Man #698, leaving Peter trapped in Otto’s “broken body.”
4 Spider-Man: Life Story
By Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley
Spider-Man: Life Story is fascinating as it explores Peter’s life through each decade from the 1960s, when he was first bitten by the radioactive spider as a 15-year-old, to the 2010s. This way, Spider-Man: Life Story obliterates the convoluted floating timeline or sliding timescale mold that comics are ordinarily leashed to (Peter is somehow still in his late 20s or early 30s in the current run of The Amazing Spider-Man, for instance), and examines what Peter’s life might have looked like if he had aged naturally within the span of six decades.
3 Spider-Man: Blue
By Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
Maybe the most sorrowful and devastating Spider-Man comic, Spider-Man: Blue is a heartbreaking story of reminiscence and closure from the renowned creative team behind Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, Superman for All Seasons, and Daredevil: Yellow. It is a wonderful farewell to Gwen Stacy in many ways, emphasizing how much Gwen means to both Peter and Mary Jane Watson-Parker while also reinforcing the strength of Peter and MJ’s marriage.
2 Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (2017–2018)
By Chip Zdarsky, Adam Kubert, Juan Frigeri, Joe Quinones, and Chris Bachalo
Chip Zdarsky’s Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man run, for many readers, is the best Spider-Man comic to come out since the mid-2000s, and many fans wish that Zdarsky was writing for the mainline Amazing Spider-Man comic as a result. Zdarsky’s run features the landmark, touching issue “My Dinner With Jonah,” where Peter and J. Jonah Jameson finally have the heart-to-heart conversation that results in Jonah learning Spider-Man’s true identity and becoming incredibly close with him, like “family.” It was certainly a breath of fresh air for the character, and has punctuated why Zdarsky is considered such a great storyteller.
Zdarsky is now a Marvel “architect,” as well, and it will be interesting to see how much influence he has on Spider-Man comics in the next couple of years, even if he himself is not the one authoring them as Marvel Comics barrels forth through the back half of the 2020s era.
1 Ultimate Spider-Man (2001–2011)
By Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Stuart Immonen, and David Lafuente
Ultimate Spider-Man is a seminal continuity for the wall-crawler in a reimagined, alternate universe, where liberties could be taken with Peter’s origin story and earliest Spider-Man stories at Midtown High. Ultimate Spider-Man was published at the height of Brian Michael Bendis’ genius, with Bendis’ work dominating in the early 2000s and being some of the most beloved stories in comic book history to this day.
Running for more than a decade, Ultimate Spider-Man is a canon that a generation of Spider-Man fans could grow up with, especially as it was considerably more modern in its interpretation of Marvel’s rich universe and characters. It is also because of Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man comic that we ever received Miles Morales’ Spider-Man, who has become wholly iconic in his own right and spawned two of the most popular and successful animated Spider-Man movies of all time.
First Appearance Amazing Fantasy
Alias Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Otto Octavius, Yu Komori, Kaine Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar, William Braddock, Miles Morales, Kurt Wagner
Alliance Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Secret Defenders, Future Foundation, Heroes for Hire, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, Web-Warriors
Race Human
Spider-Man is the name given to several individuals who have employed a spider-moniker throughout Marvel Comics. Typically gaining their powers through a bite from a radioactive spider, the different Spider-Man heroes employ super-strength, agility, and intellect while utilizing webbing to swing and tangle up their foes. The most notable of these Spider-Men is Peter Parker, who remains one of the most popular superheroes throughout the world.
English (US) ·